It’s where my mind automatically goes when summer approaches. It’s my immediate thought when the subject of happiness is raised.

Moorelands Camp, a 45-acre (18-hectare) island paradise on Haliburton’s Kawagama Lake, was my lucky reality for three years as a camper in the 1970s and three years on staff in the early ’80s. Three decades since my last visit, it’s sometimes still my fantasy retreat.

As the child of a single mother who had no extra cash, I benefited from the Moorelands mandate to give less privileged kids the building blocks that strengthen skills and self-esteem. I’m one of many who went on to join the staff and be forever tied to the oasis, and the philosophy that all children can develop competence, confidence, character and make lifelong connections. I recently stepped off the board of Moorelands Community Services after a seven-year stint.

I took this picture in August of 1983, my third year as counsellor. The first two years on staff had been as much about having fun after hours as they were about the kids. But this was a more challenging summer for me, with tension among certain staff members. So, I spent August completely focused on the campers.

In each session there were kids who had never experienced life outside Toronto’s downtown core. Some lived in incredibly difficult home environments. I recall discovering one of my campers was being abused at home. I think she left the site and went directly to Children’s Aid.

The more I learned of the circumstances under which many of these children existed, the more important it became to give them experiences that would make a permanent impact, to make happy memories to keep within themselves. There were daily swimming lessons, arts and crafts, canoe trips, campfires. There were team-building exercises, singalongs, camp-wide special days and dances.

On this particular day, my co-counsellor and I decided to spend the afternoon on a secluded beach. We didn’t have an agenda, but we buried some kids in the sand, collected rocks and sea shells, talked.

I don’t remember who suggested skinny-dipping. Some of the girls immediately thought it was a great idea, others were reticent. They ran into the water as a group, all but one in the buff.

Swimming naked in a lake feels wondrously freeing and deliciously dangerous. I have no idea if they remember that specific afternoon or that specific experience, but I believe some of them must. I have no doubt they remember their camp experience, something I’m willing to bet helped shape the people they are today.

To me, this picture symbolizes the ultimate in a carefree existence, when there is every reason to feel positive and believe that life can be OK.

Star writers reminisce about a perfect summer moment captured in a photograph each week in Summer Snapshots

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